Systemic Injustice

Yesterday Jeff's sermon looked at the topic of the systems of injustice that are present in any society and government, including ours. He asked the question of how we, as followers of Jesus, are to think about those systems. We aren't personally responsible for them, but often we benefit from them or indirectly support them in some way.

As a specific example, he brought up the issue of fair housing, particularly as it relates to how minorities often seem to be denied the same opportunities for housing that whites have. Neighborhoods are only very slowly becoming less segregated, median home values are much lower for African-Americans, and predatory "sub-prime" loans are given to African-Americans at a much higher rate. For many of us at Hillside, we're not directly affected by this issue - but is it our responsibility to care about it? If we do care, what can our response be in the face of such a systemic issue?

Sabbath and Jubilee years

I'm a little late getting this week's discussion going, but there is interesting stuff to discuss...

This Sunday, Conrad Hopkins helped us look at Leviticus 25 and the command God gave to the Israelites to take every 7th year off from working their land, and in every 50th year to return all land to its initial owner. In setting up this kind of rhythm (which, as far as we know, was never actually observed by the Israelites), it seems that God was asking them to hold loosely to their possessions and to their work, and so to to trust more fully in His provision. This rhythm would also help combat the problem of some ending up with too much while others had too little.

What are the implications for us as followers of Jesus today? How can we incorporate Sabbath rhythms into our life in ways that help us see all we have, including our jobs and possessions, as gifts from God and not things to hoard? What are our responsibilities for being concerned with those who have less than us? When we're the ones in need, do we have the courage to admit our need and lean on our Christian communities to help sustain us?

Big questions, particularly for us as we live in a pretty affluent area of a very affluent country, but with great needs all around us.

Biblical Justice - The Stranger

This morning, Jeff argued from scripture that we, as people trying to fully embody the way of Jesus, are to give special attention to caring for the stranger, the sojourner, the foreigner, the immigrant. He connected this theme in scripture with today's issue of illegal immigrants among us. In your view, how can we as a church and as individual followers of Jesus respond to the immigrants with whom we come in contact, legal or illegal? Remember, we're not looking for a political solution to the country's immigration problem here. We're wondering what a life and/or a church that embodies Jesus looks like when it comes into contact with the stranger. What do you think?

Articulating your story...

We really had a great service Sunday morning (as well as a great worship night on Monday night), and a highlight for me both Sunday morning and on Monday night was the open sharing that happened about the ways God has been at work in our lives. It reminded me of how powerful each of our stories is, and how God has called us (as Jeff reminded us in the sermon) to be ready to share those stories with the right people at the right time. So for this week's blog question, I'll simply pose one of the same questions we asked in worship Sunday morning:

Describe a time when the reality of Jesus broke into your life.

It would be great if a few or several of us could practice this discipline of "articulate witness" and post those stories here (by clicking on the "comments" link below this post), and be encouraged by how God has worked in our lives.

Giving vs. Saving

After hearing a call in yesterday's service to live a life marked by generosity in giving, what do you think of the concept of saving? It seems that saving for the future and for retirement is a necessary and wise financial strategy - but at what point does it cross over into a lack of trust in God's provision? I don't think many would argue for either extreme (saving everything and not giving, or giving everything and not saving), but how do you negotiate this tension?

Chastity and entertainment...

Yesterday's service, with its focus on the discipline of chastity, was a passionate call for us to live pure lives, not just in refraining from sexual actions that are outside of the good boundaries God created for sex, but also by guarding the "gates" of our souls by being careful about the images we let in. Jeff argued that those images we let in can turn into ideas, and ideas turn into values, and values turn into actions.

As a part of that argument, Jeff suggested that Christians in our culture have probably become too tolerant of the images that we'll allow ourselves to see in mainstream media (movies, tv, etc.). Thoughtful and dedicated Christ-followers have differing viewpoints on what's appropriate viewing for the person trying to "make a covenant with their eyes." What do you think? Does Paul's statement, "'Everything is permissible for me' - but not everything is beneficial" have any bearing here? Does the overall moral sense of a movie make any difference? What do you think a non-legalistic yet vigilantly pure entertainment ethic looks like?

Post your comments below, and check back for what others are saying.

Hillside's first worship painting

Welcome to Hillside's worship blog, a place where hopefully our community can share thoughts and ideas about how God is moving in our worship of Him!

To begin, here's the painting we created as a community in our three services yesterday, June 24. Everyone was invited to make one brush stroke on the canvas, each unique brushstroke making a contribution to the picture of our community at worship.

Let's try this - take a look at the painting, and comment below with your interpretations, thoughts, etc. Let's see if God is saying something to you, and by extension, to all of us, through what we created yesterday.

Specifically -

1. What does this painting say to you about the concept of community?
2. Do you see specific symbols or metaphors that we created (either intentionally or unitentionally)?

To comment, click on "comment" below, and you'll go through a quick, free, easy signup process to be able to post a comment. We look forward to reading your thoughts!